Chapter 16: Battling Snatcher

I was running through Subcon, looking around frantically, because if you didn't get it, Snatcher didn't exactly give me concrete directions, and because of that, and what happened previously, I was panicking! A lot!

'Why does everything here look the same!?' I thought in frustration as I looked around. Nothing but trees! Why hadn't I asked Knit for directions!? How hard was it to find an arena!?

'Stupid moron! If you don't do something, Hat is going to die!' I thought in frustration as I looked around in desperation, causing my eyes to fall on something.

I yelped as I took out my yo-yo, ready to attack, but paused.

The thing that had startled me was see-through, like a ghost, which was what had made me flinch, but now, the appearance was painfully familiar. A coat, ginger hair, green eyes...but something was wrong. Her left arm was missing, so was her left eye, and practically the left half of her face! We stared at each other for a moment.

"I-I...uh..." I was suddenly nervous. Why was I suddenly nervous!? I didn't have time for this! I needed to go and save Hat! But I couldn't move, something kept me rooted to this spot...a horrible feeling of hope. I looked over her damaged form, something terrible had happened to her. I suddenly felt selfish and insignificant. My pain was nothing compared to hers. I was an idiot for thinking I deserved any sympathy...

She looked like she was speaking, but nothing came out. Definitely a spirit or something. This wasn't a proper meeting. It was just a moment, another fleeting moment...not enough time to ask what was wrong, if I could help, what we had done...if I was worth anything. Or maybe that's just what I told myself, so that I could tear myself away.

"As...much as..." Speak, darn you! "I want to talk to you, but I can't! I'm in a hurry right now! Snatcher has my Captain! I-I..." Did this have to happen now of all times!? Life, give me a break!

She then crouched down to my height, and we stared at each other for a moment. She held her thumb up, and mouthed something to me. I didn't know what the third word was, but I assumed it was something encouraging.

I clutched my chest. This hurt. This really, really hurt. But it was different from everything else. It was hope. It hurt because it was the hope for something I wished for, being unfulfilled. But that just meant, that this pain was important.

I needed to go. I needed to hurry. But there was still the fear that this was the last time we would see each other. If nothing else, I had to know...

"Are you...Julia...?" I put all my remaining hope into those three words.

She smiled, and nodded. She then stood up and pointed, and I knew that was where I needed to go.

I ran in that direction, looking back over my shoulder at her.

'I hope you'll be okay.' I thought.


I eventually ran into a stone arena...well, arena was a loose term. It was a circular stone area with some kind of...glowing green puddle in the middle. Best not to touch that.

I stepped forward and glanced around. "I'm here, Snatcher! Get out here!"

"Some nerve you've got there for a dead brat walking." The sinister voice drawled out as he rose out of the pool in the middle. "You actually showed up. What? Did you think this was going to accomplish anything? I've invited you here to die."

"Well, didn't have much choice." I admitted.

"Of course, because I have everything...you have left." He growled, he held up my soul once again. It was crying, and had gained new scars over it. "Your soul is practically begging for death. That means ending you will be as easy as blowing out a candle."

"So this was your plan all along? Get us to do your dirty work and then kill us?" I questioned.

"Oh-ho-ho! Brat, I would have happily let you work for me...but you crossed a line." He got up in my face. "Do you still not understand? Everything that lands in this forest belongs to me. The Time Pieces, the kids and YOU. You don't make the rules here. They belong to ME!"

"You can't own my Captain! You can't own me! And we'll take back our Time Pieces, which are rightfully OURS!" I yelled back.

"There it is again!" He coiled back. "That attitude problem! I've never met someone as infuriating as you! But of course, that bravado is all it is; bravado. I know the scared, pathetic little child you are beneath it. Desperately clutching to strands of connections to convince yourself that you should keep on living. And those little lifelines are the only things holding you over the pits of hell. So easy to snap!"

"So, what? You gave up on bonds when Vanessa locked you up?" I threw that in his face nonchalantly.

And he did not like that as he shuddered. "What!? You...how do you know that!? That was centuries ago!"

"Because you just told me." I smirked.

"Wha-!? You-! Graaaaaahhhhh!" He roared. "I have never been so angry in all of my existence! Congratulations, brat! What an achievement! You know what you get for it? You get to die by my hands! An honour, really!" My soul vanished from his grasp, as he suddenly lunged at me!

I jumped back as he swiped at me. He seemed to miss, but I instantly knew. My Tip-Top Tie was gone from around my neck. I reached into my Hammerspace, and my Bat Bow, Spark Scarf and Necro Necklace were gone as well! "How did-?"

"Realised how powerful I am, Brat?" He was wearing it! My tie had gone from candy-can colour to dark blue and purple, with a mini version of his face where the one I drew once was! "Let's complete the look, shall we?" He then conjured my Captain's hat and put it on!

"You-!" This was bad, he stole most of my abilities! I had to quickly switch to my Venus Flytoy and KO Yo-Yo Badges.

"Time for you to see what I'm really capable of, brat. Say goodbye to that little head of yours!" He shouted.

Suddenly, magical fire burst out all around us, as Snatcher's shadowy minions surrounded us on the outside of the arena, cheering and jeering at us. It had begun.

"I am going to enjoy myself, here!" Snatcher hissed as one of his hands dipped into the ground. I could instinctively tell what he was aiming for and jumped away as his fist uppercutted out of the ground where I once was. I gripped my yo-yo tight and flung it at him.

And it completely passed through him.

"What!?" I returned it to my hand.

"Oh, please. Did you really think you could touch ME, brat?" Snatcher hissed. "I'm a ghostly being! Feeble things like that can't hit me!"

"No way...!" I threw my yo-yo at him again and again, but it just kept passing through him as he laughed at my misfortune. I transformed it into a hammer and smashed it down, but it did nothing as his head poked out of the top.

"Do you finally understand? The moment this fight begun, you had one foot in the grave!" I dodged again as he launched another sneak attack punch, as I returned my yo-yo to normal.

'I can't hit him at all?' I thought desperately. 'Calm down! There has to be a way!'

"Now the fun begins!" He suddenly held his hands in front of him, and I made a break for it as a huge geyser of mystical fire erupted where I once stood. "What's wrong, brat? Run out of taunts and jeers!? Fine by me!"

All of his minions then leapt onto the battlefield, and I had to jump as they ran around in circles to avoid being trampled, before they all jumped back out of the arena and I had to dive to narrowly avoid another blast of fire.

'If physical attacks won't work, maybe the Spark Scarf will.' I dodged another pillar of flames. 'In that case, I've gotta get my Neckwear back!' I turned my yo-yo into it's flytrap form and flung it forward with the goal of grabbing my tie.

But he vanished into the ground, making me completely miss! "Please!" His voice rang out everywhere. "You think I didn't anticipate that?"

'Where is he?' I looked around frantically.

Then, he burst out of the ground beneath me and punched me right in the gut. He had a surprising amount of strength, completely knocking the wind out of my lungs before he seized me by the throat and slammed me into the ground, causing me to open my mouth in a silent scream due to a lack of air.

"You never stood a chance against me." He whispered whilst looming over me. I was completely pinned down, helpless...but he let go of me and I breathed desperately. "I am going to take my time torturing you. Death won't come that easily!"

'He's...toying with me!' I got back up and rubbed my throat.

"Let's try something new!" Ten vials filled with blue liquid floated around him. "Dance, brat, dance!" They then flung them selves at me. I ran as fast as I could as they all exploded at my heels. "Not enough, huh? Let's try 1,000!" Hundreds and hundreds of vials then materialised above him.

'You've got to be kidding me!' I quickly swapped one of my Badges for the Rushing Badge, and used it to sprint around the whole arena as countless large explosions peppered the ground just behind me. Snatcher laughed joyfully as I ran to outrun the endless bangs and booms echoing in the air right behind me. It felt like ages, but it eventually ended, and I stopped to catch my breath, a rarity for our species.

"Too many? How about just one?" Indeed, only one appeared, and as it launched towards me I jumped back, but it froze before it hit the ground. "Whoops! Wait, hold on. That one should have definitely hit you." It then flew above me, and I ran around, but it stayed right above me! "C'mon! Give it a chance!"

'Basketcase.' I swore in my head as I swapped my Rushing Badge for the Cannonball Badge. As soon as the vial fell towards me, I cannonball jumped out of the way, barely dodging it.

"You're no fun." Snatcher shrugged as I cannonball jumped at him to try and harm him, but I just went right through him and landed on the other side. "But I know how to really make this fun!" He vanished again.

'What now?' I kept on my guard.

Then, multiple shadowy versions of me popped up all around me and began speaking:

"Misery! I'm such a Misery! Misery! Misery! Misery!"

"I'm pointless. I have no reason to exist. I should just kill myself. Everybody will be happier without me."

"Nobody truly loves me. They tolerate me. I'm a burden."

"Hat doesn't care. CC doesn't care. Julia doesn't care. I just fool myself into thinking they do. I'm just a stone on their own paths."

"Everybody hurts because of me. I have nothing to offer. Nothing at all."

I stared at them as they all chanted the most horrible things my mind had ever conjured. Voiced reality. All of my most harmful feelings personified!

"Snatcher!" I yelled in anger as I threw my yo-yo out to hit all of them, but of course they simply passed through.

"Toooo bad!" The shadows vanished as Snatcher lashed at me with one of his whip-like arms. A burning pain flashed across my chest as I was flung across the ground, clutching at it.

"You're burying your sorrow under rage. Like you always do." Snatcher lectured me. "I know your soul, brat. Which means I know you! And I know that that anger won't last long, and once it runs out, all that will be left is that crippling sadness! And once you fall into that, your fate is all but sealed."

I picked myself up. "I'll beat you before that happens!" I swung my hammer at him again. Pointless.

"One thing about you brat, is that you're smart. You should understand how pointless this is." Snatcher monologued as I swung at him again and again to no avail. "You only want to defeat me out of hatred, but that won't change anything in the end. You will remain unloved until your dying days. Hat no longer has a need for you, CC is temporary, Boss only tolerates you out of curiosity, and that woman? She's not even from the same dimension as you! You think she gives a damn about your struggles? Nobody cares, brat!"

"Shut up! SHUT UP!" I screamed desperately as I threw my yo-yo at him over and over again, swapping it between its normal form and its snapping flytrap form, all in vain.

"Your existence and struggles are pitiful." Snatcher spat as he sank into the ground and rose back up in the middle of the arena. "You think you can save your Captain by doing this? Please. Nothing you ever do will amount to anything. You're nothing but a burden on everything. This 'battle' is just you flailing in desperation, which summarises your entire life. Clawing at desperate wishes that continue to abandon you."

"I...I..." I racked my brain for something to counter him with...but I couldn't. I couldn't deny any of it. I was useless. Only good as a distraction at best. I wasn't saving Hat, I was losing.

"Boys!" Snatcher called as he snapped his fingers.

In an instant, all of them leapt upon me. I could only cover my face as they trampled all over me, stomping all of my head, limbs and body, covering me in injuries before they all jumped back. I was bruised and battered in an instant.

"Get up, I'm not done yet." Snatcher grumbled. "Or...don't tell me that's all it takes to break you?"

I clenched my fist around my yo-yo, as I struggled to my feet. Everything hurt. This was wrong. It took everything I had to stay standing, I should have been better then this. But...was I ever?

"Pathetic. So this is all you can amount to." Snatcher sighed. "Seems you break too easily to toss around. Looks like I'll just have to end you, and ease my consciousness."

'I can dodge it...' I thought. 'I should be able to dodge it. I can definitely dodge it!'

"Farewell, brat!" Snatcher screamed.

I couldn't move as magical fire erupted beneath me, and I screamed as I was burned and my body was alight with fire and pain. As the flames instantly faded, I stood there for a moment, before I collapsed forward.

'I should...be able to endure this...' I couldn't move, my body wouldn't let me. My will was gone. 'I...I...' Nothing would respond. My soul...

'Hat...I'm sorry...but I can't keep going like you can...' My mind wandered to these thoughts. 'I need something...to keep me alive...but now...all my wishes are dead...'

My vision was blurring. It was growing cold. 'Bow is a better friend for you...CC can take care of you...Boss can reprimand you...I'm pointless now...'

Everything was going dark... 'Everyone will...be okay...when...I...'

I closed my eyes.


I was falling.

Surrounded by shadows, I was falling. It was all dark. I felt cold. Empty.

'Am I...dying?' I wondered as I looked around. I thought I could see faces in the shadows, shifting, changing, leering at me. 'It feels lonely...'

I had nothing left to fight for, nothing to convince me to keep living. It was all useless...

"Tie..." A voice spoke. I looked beneath me, and there was a void, swallowing up everything, which the voice echoed out of. "Come and be happy, Tie...for eternity."

'Oh no...death's gonna suck...' I couldn't help but think. I no longer could fight the pull of it. This was it, I was going to-

What was that?

There. A light. The tiniest flicker of light. It hadn't even made me squint, it just caught my eye, right near the end. Shining in a sea of shadows.

And a voice rang out from it, and said something that I never thought I'd ever hear, with such conviction and purity it couldn't possibly be a lie.

"Why...would you say that?" I called to it.

But like that, it was gone.

I grumbled for a moment, before taking a deep breath of air. "...Okay. I'll find out why."

I slapped myself super hard.


"Ouch!"

My eyes snapped open and I jumped back to my feet. "Ow...that hurt!"

"What!?" Snatcher gasped, looking at me as if I'd just crawled out of a grave...which I guess I had. "That's...impossible! You were dying! You were DEAD! How!?"

"Eh, reason to keep on living." I shrugged, readying myself. "Come on then, Snatcher. I'm not dead yet."

"Making a mockery of me...at every conceivable turn!" He seethed. "I will END you!" I dodged as another pillar of fire erupted under me.

'I can't hit him.' I thought. 'But there must be something I can do to hurt him!'

"Grah!" Snatcher launched a fist from below and uppercutted me right under the chin. I flew back and crashed onto my head, but I sprang back up instantly.

'Think...' Another pillar of fire engulfed me, but I stood strong and endured it. 'Think hard...!' He unleashed a shockwave which knocked me off my feet and hard onto my face, but I pushed myself back up.

"This doesn't make any sense!" Snatcher growled. "He was on deaths door after four hits! But now he's shrugging off everything!? Why!? WHY!? Get him!"

His minions charged towards me, but instead of dodging, I changed my yo-yo into flytrap mode and grabbed one of them with it, as I endured the rest of them running into me by digging in my heels as they each punched me on their way past. "If I can't hit you...this will!" I spun the minion around like a flail before tossing it at him.

"The only one allowed to abuse my minions is me!" Snatcher shouted as he held out a hand to block his own henchman being launched at him, before tossing it back into the sidelines. "This isn't right...it isn't! His soul...!" Snatcher produced it in his hand for a moment. None of the scars had healed, but it was no longer crying, and instead giving him a very angry look. "What changed!? Tell me!"

He launched another sneak punch that I dodged, but he used both arms this time and hit me with his second fist whilst I was in midair, I was launched across the entire arena and crashed down painfully. I pushed myself to my hands and knees but buckled as I coughed violently. I was beginning to really hurt.

"This drastic change in attitude...that strength from nowhere...what ARE you, brat?" Snatcher demanded.

"I...I'm not like Hat and Bow." I admitted as I stared at my hand. "I can't be happy constantly, and I can't stand on my own...words hurt me, and I let them."

"But...I'm not like you and Vanessa either!" I told myself more then anyone as I clenched my hand. "I don't wallow in misery and hatred! I try to rise above it! I try to be better! And even if I'm not good at it...there's one thing about me that's clear!"

I stood back up. "Snatcher...you said I desperately cling to things...that's true." I smiled at him with a wounded face. "Because as long as I have something to hold onto...to have hope in...I can keep trying, no matter what! I'm pathetic like that!"

"Spouting some useless trash like that means anything! He hissed. "In case you forgot, you're still in a hopeless situation! Even if you have something to cling onto, that doesn't mean jack! You still amount to nothing!" Several vials appeared over him. "So do yourself a favour, and die already!" The vials fell towards me.

'Wait!' I realised, as I let them all explode into me, but I stood my ground. 'I've got it. These vials are just like the apples...that same glow.' My flytrap yo-yo had grabbed one of them. 'The same ghostly energy...which means...!'

"This should hurt you!" I declared as I threw the vial at him.

"Is that so?" Snatcher causally leaned out of the way as it soared past him, before another round of fire enveloped me. "You think I wouldn't expect such an obvious weakness!? I'm not underestimating you, brat!"

As the fire vanished, I stumbled back, but still gave him a smile. "Are you sure...?"

"Wait...!" He realised too late I was still holding the string, and with a strong tug, I pulled my weapon, still gripping the vial, right into Snatcher's back, causing it to shatter and cover him in the blue goop.

"You...actually dared...!" He snarled.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" I didn't waste a single moment as I transformed my yo-yo into its hammer form, before jumping up, and completely crushing him underneath it with a mighty swing. Thankfully Hat's namesake was knocked off and avoided the damage.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrgghhhh!" Snatcher howled with pain as he writhed on the ground clutching his face. It seemed he wasn't used to physical pain. "That HURT you little...!"

"Got you." I gave him the best grin I could muster with my face messed up.

He slowly put Hat's headwear back on, before setting his glare on me. "That's it, brat...TIME TO DIE!"

Everything then went black, as multiple Snatcher's surrounded me, each looking about ready to strike.

"Something like that's not gonna work!" I lengthened the string and spun it over my head, causing it to hit all of them as one of the Snatcher's was hit painfully in the cheek whilst the rest collapsed as cardboard cutouts.

"Damn you!" He roared as he retaliated by hitting me in the chest, causing my vision to blur dangerously, but I grit my teeth and retaliated by having my flytrap bite him on the head, causing him to scream as we let go of each other.

He caused several magical fire spouts to explode from the ground, and whilst I dodged them he had trapped me between them, as he began preparing a third one. Thinking quickly, I put on the Cannonball Badge and launched myself right into where his stomach would be as he erupted another one right where I was standing.

"Gahargh!" He wheezed in pain as he clutched his body, right before I payed him back by uppercutting him with a flick of my yo-yo, throwing his head back. I instantly jumped up and went to strike him with my hammer, but he stopped my swing by grabbing it! "Don't...get full of yourself!" He went to smash me down into the ground by crushing me with my own hammer, but I reverted it back into a yo-yo, allowing me to escape his grip and gain some distance between us.

"Ahhhhhh!" We both yelled as we attacked each other; his arm lashed out and hit me in the stomach whilst my yo-yo ran up his arm and hit him right in the eye. His blow made my knees buckle and violently cough up spittle, it was a miracle I didn't vomit as Snatcher clutched his eye with his remaining hand and our attacks returned back to us.

"Kill him!" Snatcher commanded as his minions all jumped above me, ready to dogpile me. I reacted quickly and turned my yo-yo back into a hammer.

"Do or die!" I psyched myself up as I spun around, using the weight of the hammer to build momentum as I turned into a deadly spinning top that knocked every single minion away as they landed on top of me.

But as soon as I beat them all back I cried out as I was caught in more magical fire. The minions were just a distraction for Snatcher to catch me off guard.

"You dirty...!" I turned towards him, only to be met with a punch to the face so hard my skull shook. Then he grabbed me by the throat and pinned me down.

"No coy catch and release this time! I'll choke the life out of you!" He threatened.

I knew I was too weak to throw him off, so I launched my yo-yo at his face, but he caught it with his other hand! I'd instantly run out of options. So, I thought of a new one! I lengthened the string and wrapped it around my tie on Snatcher's body.

"Trying to get your Neckwear back again?" Snatcher tossed my yo-yo away as he grabbed onto my tie. "I told you that's not gonna work!"

But that wasn't what I was aiming for. No, I gave my tie a nice, strong, tug!

"Tie..." I choked out with my last ounce of breath. "Where's...the ship?"

Instantly, the tie turned around and pointed to the sky with such force Snatcher wheezed as if he was being hung, and his grip finally lifted off of me as I rolled out from underneath it and retrieved my yo-yo as I took in big gulps of air.

"Gaaaahhh!" After the tie relented Snatcher threw his hands downwards, causing blue vials to rain down all around me. There was no way I could avoid them as my body was wracked with explosions and I was launched to the ground. The injuries were beginning to accumulate, and I struggled a bit before I stood up.

"I am the KING of this forest!" Snatcher screamed as he caused five pillars of fire to erupt at once as I dodged them, heat hitting my face. "You're just some broken little brat!" He punched the ground and unleashed a shockwave that I barely jumped over. "For you to do this to me is an insult!" He lashed at me with his other arm, but I knocked it away with my hammer.

"I don't care!" I swung my hammer and hit him right in the face. "You took everything from me! I'm not gonna relent to someone like you!"

"If you had from the very beginning you could have had a peaceful demise..." Snatcher grumbled as he clutched his face. "Now...I'll make sure you suffer!" More flames erupted under me, since I was helpless in midair, and I screamed out as Snatcher reached through them and hit me in the chest, pretty sure he broke a rib with that one as I was launched so far back I was blasted in the back by the fire surrounding the arena, and I crashed to the ground. My whole body was burning, begging for me to stop.

"Brat, I'm pretty sure I don't have to give you a speech about how giving up connecting with others has done wonders for me." Snatcher spoke through pained breaths. "Not that you'll listen to me anyway. But everything about people is untrustworthy! In the end, they will only betray and hurt you! For someone like you, who feverishly seeks bonds, to win against me, who has cast them aside, is inconceivable!" He prepared one last attack against me.

"I agree." I spoke, which made him stop. "People are untrustworthy, and it hurts when you're betrayed...heck, we've been betrayed a lot on this planet! But the thing is...living means hurting, breaking bonds, and making new ones. We keep seeking new ones, because it means we're still alive..."

I forced myself to stand up, despite the pain. "So truly, Snatcher...you've given up on living. And I nearly did too. The thing is though...I don't mind a little more pain, if it helps keep me going to the next one."

"You're fine living a life of pains one after the other?" Snatcher growled.

"Yeah. It means I still have hope. That it will end one day." I confirmed.

"That sounds like too much hassle for me." Snatcher muttered. "Now you've gone and planted some disturbing thoughts in my head! I'll definitely kill you, brat! So that I can rid myself of these feelings!" He went to attack again.

At that moment, I smacked him right in the face with my yo-yo, knocking him back, before I whipped it around and smacked him in the side of his face, before pulling it up and slamming it down onto his head, making his face smack into the floor.

'I'll finish it with this!' I told myself as I changed my yo-yo into a hammer, and charged at him. 'Here we go!'

My legs suddenly buckled underneath me, and I collapsed to the ground, my hammer reverting back into a yo-yo as it rolled away from me.

'Wh-What?' I couldn't stand! 'My body...!'

"Seems you've run out." Snatcher hissed as he slowly rose up. "Your soul may still be willing to fight, but your body has betrayed you."

'I've run out of stamina!' I realised. 'My body's too injured to move!'

"You really got me there." Snatcher admitted. "You're the most painful thing I've EVER had to deal with, at least physically. However, I told you didn't I? The outcome was determined from the very beginning."

He towered over me. "Brat...our contract is hereby...null and void." He began charging an attack.

'I...really can't do anything!?' I thought. 'Is this the end...for real this time? Even after I found hope again...? Was it all...still useless?'

I stared at Snatcher as he got ready to unleash his move, and I cursed my fate. 'I'm so sorry...!'

"Good riddance, Tie!" Snatcher shouted.

As a beam of blue energy appeared from nowhere and blasted him in the face, making him cry out as he fell to the ground.

My eyes widened in shock. 'Wha-?'

"TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!"

I stared in disbelief as Hat, Knit and Bow jumped through the hole in the wall of fire created by that energy, and Hat ran over to me.

"Cap...tain…" I breathed out as she picked me up.

"I'm here, Tie." She reassured me.

"C-Captain..." I grabbed her shoulder. "I'm sorry...I couldn't even...I'm so useless...!" Tears pricked at my eyes.

"It's okay, Tie." Hat told me, giving me her usual smile. "You were really amazing! Let me take care of everything now, okay?"

"...O...kay..." I nodded, before I passed out.


Snatcher couldn't believe this. The kid was here!? Along with the other one and-...Moonjumper's toy! So that's how!

"You...have all got some nerve...!" He hissed.

"Bow, take Tie." Hat said as she handed the unconscious boy to him. "Go back to the ship and give him some Heart Pons."

"Right." She nodded.

"And you think I'll just let you do that!?" Snatcher reached out a hand towards them. "The brat's so close! I'm not gonna let you-!"

"Haaaah!" Knit pulled out one of her needles and stabbed Snatcher's hand with it.

"Gaaaaaah!" Snatcher howled in pain as he threw Knit off and clutched his hand as Bow and Tie teleported away. "No! You little plaything!"

"Nyeeeh!" Knit created a tongue out of yarn that she stuck out at him.

"You think you're all soooo smart!? Well, I still have the kids contract, meaning she's still mine! Right...here?" He paused in horror as his hand didn't produce anything.

"Thought of that too." Knit boasted as she held out scraps of a torn-up contract and scattered them like confetti.

"My contract!" Snatcher whined. "All this time...you could do that!?"

"Yep! Bye!" Knit then turned into a butterfly and flew away.

"Get back here you little-!" Snatcher hissed in frustration.

"Tie..." The ghost stopped and turned to Hat. "You were really, really hurt...because of me."

Hat turned to face Snatcher, as tears ran down her face. "Someone super important to me got seriously hurt." She sobbed. "And it's just as much my fault as it is yours. He was in pain all this time, and I didn't notice. Tie has always been so reliable, so strong, that I didn't realise he needed me so much, how much he needed a friend."

"...What are you saying?" He honestly didn't know where she was going with this.

"I'm saying I'm a very bad friend." Hat sniffled, she was bawling like a baby, which made what she was trying to say sound really poor. "I may not be able to get angry, but I can still fight for his sake." She readied her umbrella, whilst looking rather red-faced.

"Taking his place, are you?" Snatcher growled. "Well, if you think that I'll give up after coming THIS close to killing that little waste of life, you've got another thing comi-" He was met with a laser blast right to his face from Hat's umbrella.

'Wh-What!?' Snatcher thought as Hat jumped up and smacked him right in the midsection so hard he wheezed. 'This kid...!' She then smacked him in the face with enough force to snap his neck if he had one. 'She's strong!'

"Waaaahhhh!" Hat cried like a baby as she crushed Snatcher's head with an overhead swing from her umbrella. "Tiiiiiiiie!" She blasted him right in the face with another laser beam.

'This is bad...!' Snatcher was getting pummelled again and again. 'I'm seriously going to die again if this keeps up! There was a reason this kid was the Captain! In that case...I have no choice!'

"P-Please!" Snatcher suddenly recoiled in fear. "It hurts so much! I can't take anymore! Please!"

Hat sniffed as she messily wiped away her tears. "Are you sorry for hurting Tie?"

"Yes! Yes! Definitely!" Snatcher begged. "Just please! Please...have a seat!"

A bench appeared underneath Hat as Snatcher rose up, his body seriously distorted from all the blows it had sustained.

'Yes! I have her!' Snatcher thought.

A contract appeared before her. "I'll give you an out here, kid. Just sign here, and we'll be out of each others hair forever. No more mess!"

'All I need to do is get her to sign!' Snatcher thought. 'With the fine print on this one, she'll die instantly! As soon as she signs, she's as good as finished!'

"You'll leave Tie alone?" Hat asked innocently.

"Of course!" He smiled. 'Sign it! SIGN IT!'

"Hmmm..." She took the quill and began writing...but then began scribbling erratically.

'What's she doing?' Snatcher wondered.

"Here you are!" Hat presented the contract, which was now scribbled all over to read 'STAY AND HAVE FUN!'

"You...do realise that's not how contracts work, right?" Snatcher said.

'It doesn't matter though! She signed it, which means its binding!' He thought darkly. 'I'll make you have a heart attack! Then, that brat is next! So long, kid!'

Something should have happened. But it didn't.

'...Why? WHYYYYYY!?' His mind screamed in rage. 'She signed! It's the same signature! So why...unless-!" For the first time in his afterlife, he began sweating. 'Don't tell me...she actually overruled the contract just by scribbling over it!? So, that means-!" He stared at the little girl staring at him expectantly. 'This kids magic is stronger then mine!?'

"Hellooooo? Are you okay?" Hat asked.

"Why...why!?" Snatcher breathed out in panic.

"Why do I wanna stay here? Because you seem to hate it." Hat smiled innocently as she kicked her legs like the child she was. "You hurt Tie, so I figured I should stay here! And annoy you! As long as I want!"

Snatcher actually recoiled. 'This can't be right! I'm...SCARED of her!? I, Snatcher, rule of the forest, scared of a little girl!?'

"Wh-..." He gulped nervously. "What if...I give you back your Hats?" He took it off and placed it on her head. "All back! Hahaha...ha?"

"Tie's Neckwear too." She held out her hand.

"R-Right!" He relinquished the tie, causing it to turn back to normal. "S-So...?"

Hat continued to stare at him, kicking her feet and humming a little.

"I-I know! I'll give you your souls back!" The two souls were released, causing Hat's to return to her, as Tie's flew up towards the ship. "Yes? No? Hello?"

Hat just continued humming, swaying from side to side.

"...You drive a hard bargain, kid..." Snatcher admitted, before he produced a Time Piece. "Here. Take my last Time Piece. Just PLEASE...leave me alone."

"Okey-dokey!" She agreed as she picked it up. "You stay out of trouble Snatcher, otherwise I'll have to beat you up again!" She then teleported away.

As soon as she was gone, Snatcher fell forward and took desperate heavy breaths of air.

"Hat Kid...Tie Brat..." Snatcher choked on his own words to himself. "You two truly are...the most dangerous people I've ever encountered...! Hat's physical strength was insane! And her magic was stronger then mine! How is that even possible? What is she!?"

"And Tie..." He stared up towards the sky. "He came back from the brink of death, and foiled me in every way! How...?" He then had a moment of epiphany. "Of course...those who are unconscious in Subcon are closest to the walls between timelines and dimensions...somehow, he tapped into that..."

Snatcher actually felt...impressed. Scared, but impressed. He had truly never met anything like them before.

"Hahahahaha…" He chuckled to himself. It hurt to laugh. "I wonder what you saw, brat..."


There. A light. The tiniest flicker of light. It hadn't even made me squint, it just caught my eye, right near the end. Shining in a sea of shadows.

And a voice rang out from it, and said something that I never thought I'd ever hear, with such conviction and purity it couldn't possibly be a lie.

"You deserve to exist."


Julia: A woman from another dimension (A Hat in Time: Amnesiac's Journey/Julia's Return) who possesses great magical prowess and seems to be damaged. Tie somehow knows of her existence.


And finally the battle with Snatcher happens. Hope you all enjoyed it! Believe it or not my old laptop broke, and I had to order a new one, so I was silent the past few days.

For those of you thinking Tie has been cured of his negativity, sorry, but it's not that easy. That self-loathing is still there, he just has another reason to keep fighting it. Hopefully he will eventually be able to conquer it and learn to love himself.

This chapter was a major battle, just like how it was in the games, and I hope I accurately represented Tie and Snatcher's clashing of ideals, as well as each of their struggles fighting the other.

Thank you to windchaosdemon, Konan720, Tbone8454, Happiness studios, and the latter Guest for reviewing.

Next chapter, we conclude Subcon by showing the aftermath of this fight.